A post to the
TribalWar Forums offers a farewell to Sierra and the TRIBES Development team
from T:V producer Chris "Thrax" Mahnken, who posted a timeline that hints that
the game is nearing release:

Tomorrow, Friday September 17 - Just a few
short weeks before Tribes will hit the shelves my time has run out. I was given
a 90 day extension to stay on at Sierra (the building has been nearly empty for
a month now) and finish Tribes. We're now in a great position, ready to ship,
and I'm confident that the team in Australia will do a fantastic job finishing
the game.

I'm sorry, but where's the twitch? Twitch is usually associated with close-range combat with fast projectiles and lots of hitscan weapons. Tribes has large, open combat which requires precision, extensive target leading and prediction and of course, timing. Not exactly "twitch" in my book.

Why bother when 1 person with a repair pack can have the entire base up in before you can even respawn?

Thus the need for coordinated, constant HO. For all those people that argue that T:V requires no teamwork, I don't really understand their logic. Sure, a single HO can take down an entire base, provided that the base has no defense. As for HO being weaker than in the previous games, this is true. However, with strategic use of the shield pack, a good HO can last longer than any HO in the previous games could. I've often found myself hammering away on HO but doing little damage. This is because the active effect of the shield pack makes a unit almost invincible. With proper timing, HO can be a force to be reckoned with.

Though, if you don't like the feel of the game, there's not much I can say to change your mind. I can only hope that you give the final retail game a chance and let it grow on you.

My 2cents (probably isn't worth that The tribes series has been my favorite games EVER, period. I played in ladders for both games and played T2 so much that it cost me a keyboard when an angry wife tossed it outside during a rainstorm.I've tried so very hard to like TV, but just can't get into it. I have to agree with the many people here who say it feels kinda like UT with Jetpacks. I've actually been hearing this from the beta players on the boards for months but hoped they were wrong.This just doesn't 'feel' like a tribes game to me.Yeah, T2 was different than T1, but it still had that unique Tribes feel (and I really enjoyed it especially Siege)

Also, I usually play in heavy/jug armor and just don’t like it in TV. I don’t see many using it due to it’s ineffectiveness. And sometimes it just seems like they die too easily. I often find myself wondering “wha.. How am I dead already? What hit me?” That never happened in the other 2 games, I always had a good feel for the damage I was taking. Not here, sometimes I can wreck havoc on a base while other times I’m dead before I know it. What gives? There doesn’t seem to be any real benefit to base rape either (that was my specialty.) Why bother when 1 person with a repair pack can have the entire base up in before you can even respawn?

I'm glad that many people are enjoying this game, including many Tribes vets, but there are many of us that are disappointed. Myself included unfortunately. Darn darn darn! I REALLY wanted to love this game.

I NEVER said T1 vehicles and turrets are overpowered where did you get that again? Out of your ass as so many things?

Actually, no, I derived it from your previous statement. You know, the one where you said I was completely mixing up T1 and T2. According to my posts, I said that T2 had completely overpowered vehicles and turrets. Apparently you thought that was mixed up. If you'd like to avoid further confusion, please be more specific in your accusations and support your arguments with valid facts. Thus far, you have yet to refute any of the points I've made. If you cannot do so, then perhaps it is time to stop posting...

P.S. Really, is the name-calling truly necessary? I'm sorry that you disagree with my points and are frustrated, but would you even be in that state if my points weren't valid? Remember, the truth hurts.

Been there plenty of times and no offense to you or a few of the guys who know what they're talking about but the majority of the people in those forums are total wankers.

No offense taken. While it is true that the majority of posters there are jackasses, it doesn't change the fact that they are also Tribes veterans and know what they are talking about. For the purposes of my debate with Beaver, they provide a reliable source of information.

Maps where a single ski master can dominate, get old really quick.

This is due more in part with the current state of T:V pubs than the game itself. Remember T1? If you were playing on a pub with plenty of n00bs on it, the good players would totally annihilate them. The flag would never be at the n00b's stand. If you play T:V on a server with mostly experienced players, the games will be much more balanced and capping will be less frequent.This comment was edited on Sep 18, 20:02.

See, again. You understand NOTHING and put my sayings upside down and inside out.I NEVER said T1 vehicles and turrets are overpowered where did you get that again? Out of your ass as so many things?

I played T1 for 2.5 years in 2 different clans and was one of the best european players. I played T2 for about 1.5 years and was only in one clan for a short time because I realized T2 sucked and stopped playing it. I never played those moronic mods except for trying them out. I dont think you believe me, but I dont care, think what you want. Your ignorance will kill you some day anyway. My goodness, never met such an ignorant and person like you. Never. Do you live in your dreamworld?

________I don't like arguing. Why can't we all just get along instead of fighting and arguing?This comment was edited on Sep 18, 07:04.

Waiting for BIS to come back to their senses and do a real ArmA 2 successor.

much to my surprise the Tank will go up totally vertical surfaces. I found this out on the island map accidentally when I ski'd down with the tank and ened up going halfway up the face of a small verticall cliff. I took my finger of the ski button and it just stayed there. I hit foward and it crept along to the top just fine.

At first I though the vehicles were totally bizarre but after awhile I really began to see their usefulness. I'm still not thrilled with the bomber as its as one person mentioned, just a method to fly over the enemy base and spam it. The othe single seat flyer (I forget its name ATM) can be an incredibly good defensive tool if practiced with. Problem is most guys just take off, fly to the enemy base and try to take on several players at once which only gets them killed quickly. As far as the buggy is concerned it gets the job done as a mobile spawn point and turret. A lot of people hate its lunatic driving model but I'm not one of 'em. I'll start a local game just so i can hop in and tear around the map for a bit. Too much fun.

You'll probably need to register. Since I take it you've never been to that site before, you'll be a new member and as a result, veterans will be inclined to look down upon you and think of you as a noob. Hopefully your arguments can show them otherwise.. =/

Oh, and to clarify, how long did you play T1? By T1, I mean T1 Base and not Ultra Renegades, Shifter, etc. Same question for T2. In addition, have you ever played competitively? As in, on a gaming ladder, like TWL or OGL? Your answers may provide valuable insight as to the source of your claims...

P.S. Wait, you think T1 has overpowered vehicles and turrets? I'd be interested to see how you support that opinion.

Youre mixing up T1 and T2 completely... might want to play them again before you judge anything Tribes related again, at least when you compare games to T1 and T2.I am curious why I even made me the effort and wrote those long posts...

________I don't like arguing. Why can't we all just get along instead of fighting and arguing?

Waiting for BIS to come back to their senses and do a real ArmA 2 successor.

T.V out of the box is a bit bland and boring compared to T1 gameplay or T2.

Uh, how do you know what T:V is like out of the box? You don't have any box because the game isn't retail yet and you've only played a 4 map open beta. =P Really, though, there aren't many T1 vets that are disappointed with T:V. It retains the same exhiliration and speed of T1. T2 vets, on the other hand, are disappointed because there are less turrets and less emphasis on vehicles. Whether or not T:V has less strategy has yet to be seen. You can't really expect any real strategy to form in an open beta where 60-70% of the players are new and have no idea what they are doing. Also, calling T:V a twitch game is ridiculous. You still have to lead your shots considerably and timing is essential. Predicting where your opponents will be next is a whole other matter. Twitch game = Q3, UT2k4, etc. Not a Tribes game.

I know Irrational tweaked the engine a LOT, and they did well, but the game still has this heavy gravity, less dextrous feel to it compared to T1 or T2.

Err, I dunno about you but T2 base felt a lot heavier and less dextrous to me. T2 Classic is fast, but not as fast as T1 or T:V. As for dexterity, T:V probably requires more than T2 or T1. You have the grappler, which requires a good amount of dexterity to use well. You have the buckler, which also requires dexterity. You have hand grenades, which require some dexterity too. Granted, I'll admit that the engine does bear some slight similarities to UT2k4. The graphics are vibrant and colorful (a marked improvement over T2). The similarities end there.

T1 base players probaly hate T.V because the vehicles like the POD or the bomber make it easier to deem a kill on lpb defenders or mad cappers. They just hate vehicles. They hate turrets they want it fast and man to man.

I haven't seen too many T1 players who hate T:V. The vehicles aren't the overpowered beasts of T2. The T:V vehicles are just annoying distractions used to spam bases. As for turrets, T1 players don't hate them, as long as they are balanced. The turrets in T2 were completely overpowered. They were incredibly accurate and did a devastating amount of damage. Fact is, T1 players would rather fight other people, as opposed to fighting turrets.

Oh, and T2 Classic didn't have T1 gameplay. In T1, you didn't have to worry about getting run over by a Shrike or mortar-spammed from a Tank hiding behind a mountain.This comment was edited on Sep 18, 00:39.

T1 base players probaly hate T.V because the vehicles like the POD or the bomber make it easier to deem a kill on lpb defenders or mad cappers. They just hate vehicles. They hate turrets they want it fast and man to man.

T2 base players probaly hate T.V because the strategy element has been watered down, features like the command console are gone, packs eliminated and the jets blow.

Hmm, based on what I've seen from the Tribalwar.com forums (the gathering place for Tribes veterans), I'd say that the vast majority of vets like T:V. In fact, it seems like the only players who don't like T:V are the T2 vets

Yes T.V will be good for base 7 vs 7 or 10 vs 10 matches. Most folks that play on pubs for fun hate the game because it gets boring. They wanted to bring a broader crowd to Tribes by dumming down the game. Instead I think they isolated it even more until a good mod is available. And lets get over the T1 vs T2 player crap, it doesnt help any of us gain a Tribes game we can all like.

Why not? Was Tribes broken? Ya know what happens when you f*k with a winning recipe? Parts 2 and 3 and so on... blow monkies. All Tribes would need is a new skin. Done deal

Yeah I should have know once the big corp world got hold of the name the goal was to make T.V more console like. I will disagree with you on a new Tribes needing to only be T1 with new skin. T2 was crappy out of the box. but with mods and the latest patches T2 is actually a deeper game now. The classic mod for T2 is the closets thing to an improved base Tribes that I've come across. T.V should have been a blend of T1 and T2, built on either a newer torque engine or new engine all together, all the same weapons and vehicles with new one thrown in enhanced graphics and models that arent so damn corny looking.

What amuses me is people who sy that TV is nothing like UT, and then support that claim by saying that the original Tribes laid the groundwork for all the games which came later.

which is nice, but what does that do to refute the fact that the current game, T:V, is like UT2kx? Hell, if anything, that just adds grounds for the similarity claim! Anyway, T:V just doesn't float my boat; there's a real 'been there, done that' feel to the whole thing. And skiing as a button now? Wow...talk about emergent gameplay

You have to understand that many hardcore Tribes players have had to deal with letdowns (T2 out of the box, T.V watered down, Unreal feel) for quite a long time. In addition to that, when Tribes came out, we had to listen to all the deathmatch old school idiots pipe of their mouth about the greatness of quake or CounterStrike.

They always called Starsiege Tribes a MECH game, and scoffed at the concept of jets.

Years later, every game on the market is migrating toward a massive mulitplayer (no boxed roomed maps), CTF style gameplay with strategy, twitch playing the works.

We all know that our fav game was the first and innovated much of that, and its frustrating that it still has nothing yet to represent as the king of Massive Multiplay.

T:V feels like UT2003 with jetpacks. It is more about the pacing, the slow weapon speed vs player speed. It's about graphics over gameplay..

Im not going to say T.V is UT2K with jetpacks because it is far better. BUT, I have to agree with VultureMAN regarding the "feel" of the game and weapons speed etc. I know Irrational tweaked the engine a LOT, and they did well, but the game still has this heavy gravity, less dextrous feel to it compared to T1 or T2. There is just something about the Unreal engine that changed the feel of the game.

Sniping is slow and players in flight are jaggedy and shifty in the air, The jetting is worse. Sure the skiing is maxed to the extreme, but now the quick smooth jetting is gone. granted a lot of this can possibly be fixed, but one thing I can say about the torque engine used in T2. It is smooth.... whether its objects flying in the air, weapons being drawn or weapons fired.

Perhaps why many make the T.V is UTK..argument. It does have an Unrel engine feel, especially if you've been playing Tribes a long time and know how T1 or T2 feel. I have to say for massive gameplay T1 engine and Torque are still incredible even compared with todays latest games.